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Light is called an 'electromagnetic wave' for historical reasons* in the following sense: It turned out that the effects of visible light and other radiation can be calculated using Maxwell's equations, which are also used to model the behaviour of electrically charged particles. This was an instant of a successful unification and it hasn't been dismissed since.
- Why do we think of light as a wave? - Physics Stack Exchange
However when light hits a transparent object at a angle it...
- Why do we think of light as a wave? - Physics Stack Exchange
Nov 21, 2024 · Rather than absorbing light continuously from a wave, atoms actually receive energy in packets of light called photons, explaining odd observations such as the existence of a cutoff frequency.
One of Newton's arguments against the wave nature of light was that waves were known to bend around obstacles, while light travelled only in straight lines. He did, however, explain the phenomenon of the diffraction of light (which had been observed by Francesco Grimaldi) by allowing that a light particle could create a localised wave in the ...
However when light hits a transparent object at a angle it will be refracted (except at 90 degrees). This is a property of a wave. Therefore light is seen as electric waves and magnetic waves oscillating at right angles from each other. Light is always either a wave or a particle but never both at the same time. Welcome to the dual-nature of light.
Some phenomenon of light is explained by its particle nature ,e.g reflection, refraction and some by its wave nature, e.g diffraction, polarization etc… It is usually written in books that light has a particle nature because in daily life, we come across by its particle nature only,.
Nov 14, 2024 · In most everyday circumstances, the properties of light can be derived from the theory of classical electromagnetism, in which light is described as coupled electric and magnetic fields propagating through space as a traveling wave. However, this wave theory, developed in the mid-19th century, is not sufficient to explain the properties of light at very low intensities.
May 24, 2024 · Mathematics and experiments show that light is a transverse wave – the electric and magnetic field vectors point in directions that are perpendicular to the direction of motion of the light wave (and as it turns out, they also rare always perpendicular to each other). Figure 2.1.1 – Electromagnetic Wave
